Reference
How many bird species are in Utah?
Utah has 465 bird species on its official list (Utah Bird Records Committee, February 2026), the 22nd highest count of the 46 states with a verified count. A species joins it with physical evidence, such as a photo or a specimen, or with two accepted sight records.
Updated
Utah bird list at a glance
| Official count | 465 species |
|---|---|
| List’s date | February 2026 |
| Kept by | Utah Bird Records Committee |
| Among US states | 22nd highest of the 47 US lists (50 states and DC) with a verified count |
| Official list | Checklist of the Birds of Utah (Feb 2026) |
What does Utah’s count include?
- Species with physical evidence, or with at least two sight records the committee accepted.
- Not counted: species on separate provisional, unverified and introduced-species lists.
- Records through February 2026.
Why might you see a different number?
A state’s count is every species ever accepted on its official list, so a figure from another year, or one that counts something else, won’t match.
Every state’s list follows its own rules: see why the counts differ from state to state.
How do you count your own Utah list?
Your state list is every species you’ve seen in the state. If you log your sightings in eBird, it lets you filter your life list by place, a state included (eBird’s My eBird help page, updated March 28, 2025), and the data download you can ask for gives the state of every sighting: our guide shows how to download your own eBird data. On paper, count the species you’ve seen in Utah; what is a life list? explains how birders keep their lists.
If you’d like your whole life list in print, Birdfolio turns it into a hardcover book, each species beside a classic painting.
Utah’s state bird
California Gull
Utah’s state bird is the California Gull (officially, the “sea gull”), the state bird since 1955. Utah Code 63G-1-601; the 1955 law was signed on February 16, 1955. The law says “sea gull”; the bird meant is the California Gull. No gull species is actually called a sea gull (Utah State Library).
Source: Utah Code 63G-1-601, State symbols (Utah Legislature), read October 3, 2026. See the state birds of all 50 states, each with its painting.
Birding festivals in Utah
Our birding festivals calendar lists one festival in Utah, with dates from its own website:
- Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, Farmington: dates not announced yet (2026 festival: May 14–17, 2026)
In winter you can also join a Christmas Bird Count near you; our guide explains how.
More about bird counts
- How many bird species are in each state: all 50 states, DC and Canada, each from its official list.
- Bird lists of nearby states: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho and Nevada.
- State birds of all 50 states, each with its classic painting.
- How many bird species are in the US and Canada, and how birders count them.
- Bird splits and lumps: when one species becomes two, state lists change too.